Encounters
by luli27
Summary: Jack and Sam encounter different persons from their past at different locations and different moments in their lives. Chapter 5 now up
1. Chapter 1

**Encounters**

**Disclaimers**: the characters don't belong to me; I'm just borrowing to make them do what I want for a little bit.

**AN**: ok, this is just something that came into my head and wouldn't leave. It might be my sadistic side showing, but I just couldn't stop wondering what Pete would think if and when he saw Jack and Sam as a couple after she broke their engagement – the one with Pete. I haven't really find many stories dealing with that, so I thought I'd write my own since I came coming back to it – it really didn't leave alone. This is the result; it kind of wrote itself and for some reason it came out in present tense. I hope I got all the tenses right, I have a bit of a problem with that; if they're not, I'm sorry – English is my second language and sometimes I make mistakes. That's enough for author's note, here's the story:

Sam Carter looks at her watch as she steps down from her car; when she sees it's a bit after 4:30, she mutters 'damn' and slams the door with unnecessary force. If she doesn't hurry she'd be the late – the one thing she so doesn't want to be. It's been two months since she'd seen him; the longest they have ever gone without seeing each other. Well, that's of course not counting the times either was capture by the enemy, presumed lost, laying in a come or the like – and by either read Jack, most of the time. But it is definitely the longest they've gone without seeing each other since they, well, staring 'seeing' each other nine months ago. They've made it a point to see each other at least once a month. And fortunately, for once, work has not gotten in the way. Until now, that is. First her mission lasted longer than anticipated and she had to cancel her trip to DC; then two weeks ago there was some sort of crisis and he had to cancel his trip to Colorado Springs. Luckily, things have calmed down and he is now on the way to getting here. But he'll have no welcoming committee if she doesn't hurry her six up.

'Damn' she mutters again and tries to avoid bumping into people as she practically runs down to the gate. She's picked him up enough times that she doesn't have to look up the gate number anymore. For a moment the thought enters her mind that she wishes he had used military transport; it'd be much easier getting to the gate without having to deal with so many people. But Jack doesn't really like military transport, which she can understand as it's a cramped and bumpy ride usually. So, whenever possible (whenever it would get him here faster) he takes commercial flights. Again, she can understand and appreciate that. But her life would sure be easier now if she was dealing with military personnel instead of civilians. Being a Lt. Colonel has, after all, a few perks.

Her mood darkens briefly again, when she thinks that those perks apparently don't include being able to keep the scientists at the SGC in line. She'd had everything plan so carefully and for once everything was according to plan, too. She'd had all her work at the lab settled for the night and all her reports in with enough time to take a shower, change into her civvies (a new outfit she was dying for Jack to see) and have a nice pleasant drive to the airport. But just as she was leaving her lab for the locker room she'd been urgently paged to the lab three floors up. She'd been tempted to ignore it, but her training and duty won out – it could have been an emergency. In retrospect, she should have gone with her first instinct.

She shakes her head and thinks 'what a bunch of egg-heads', one of the most charitable names she'd called them in the last few hours (and a perfect example of how much time she'd been spending with Jack O'neill). Bur really, haven't they heard of basic safety precautions; even high school students know better, for crying out loud. But no, they'd just had to go ahead with their hair-brained scheme without thinking of the consequences. And, as usual, it had been up to her to clean up the mess. As mush as she loved her job she was really staring to hate 'having to clean up the mess.' Especially when it intruded into her personal time, now that she finally has a life she wants to enjoy the heck out of. Fortunately for her, General Landry had been on the base and, knowing that Jack was on his way, had ordered her out of the mountain once it'd been established that it was not an emergency and the other scientists could deal with the problem – if they actually used their brains for once.

With another shake of her head, she realizes that perhaps she's just the tiniest bit bitter, but it's not like she doesn't good have reasons to be. After all she'd have to run out of the mountain wearing the same BDU's she'd been wearing all day – goodbye new, sexy as hell, Jack-is going-to-drop-when-he-sees-you-in-it outfit. And she'd have to speed all the way to the airport – goodbye leisurely ride; she'd had been really lucky that she hadn't run into any cops. But as she approaches the gate a few minutes ahead of his plane, she tries to shake all these thoughts out of her head. Ok, so she'd had to hurry but she's here now _and_ before him, that's what's important. And so what if she's wearing BDU's – he's been telling her for the past nine month that she looks better in them than most women look in evening gowns. And if the look he gets in his eyes every time he says it is any guide, he really means it.

The shiver she gets down her spine as she thinks of what usually follows that glint chases all the bad thoughts out of her head for good. God but she'd miss him. She'd miss the security of his arms around her; the softness of his lips on hers, the hardness of his body against hers, the way his rough hands caress her skin oh so softly leaving goose bumps on their wake, the way he makes her feel when he . . . Ok, she'd better stop that line of thinking if she doesn't want to really embarrass herself; she's already blushing scarlet. She finally gets to the gate and goes to stand by the window next to it, from where she'd be able to see him as soon as he exists. Her body is as tight as a string in anticipation and she starts to rock back and forth on her feet in unconscious imitation of the man she's about to meet.

She's so involved in her own thoughts that she had not realized a man had been tailing her for the past few minutes. A mistake like that would have been deadly in the field and one she's never made, she'd had a great teacher after all. But she's not in the field; she's in a crowded airport with her guard down and lost in her thoughts. As such the man had been able to follow her without her noticing. Not that he has any intention of harming her, he just wants to know where she's going; it has after all been almost ten months since they've seen each other. He'd almost caught up to her when he saw her stop next to the gate. He sees that the plane is due to arrive any minute and decides to let her greet whoever she's meeting and then casually walk up to her as if he'd just seen her. He figures she's picking up a friend and is already planning how he invite them to dinner and how during its course he'd see if maybe they can go back to what they had. He'd really miss her and thought that after ten months she might have changed her mind.

He's so caught up in his fantasy that he fails to notice that Gen. Jack O'neill has just step out of the gate. Sam, however, hasn't and as she smiles the smile she only gives him she can't help thinking 'my, but he looks good in his uniform.' Jack's smile lights up his whole face and it's one few people had ever seen as he gives them only to her. Sam, herself, hadn't seen it until nine months ago but has gotten real use to seeing them since them. For a moment or two each it's frozen in their place as they get lost in the other's eyes. As someone bumps into Jack, the moment of paralysis is broken and they hurry into each other's arms.

Even as Pete misses Jack's arrival, he notices Sam's reaction to it; and as he sees her beautiful smile break through, all he can think is 'she's never smile at me like that.' For a moment he's spellbound by the brilliance of that smile but as he sees her rush forward, he turns to see who it is that can put that look of absolute joy on her face. He's confused when he first sees Jack as all he sees is the uniform and doesn't immediately recognize him. The few seconds of understanding he as he recognizes Jack is follow by more confusion when Jack reaches Sam and hugs her so tight that the actually picks her up from the floor. Sam is hugging Jack just as tightly and out of nowhere Pete gets the thought that if they had been alone Jack may very well have spun Sam around while she threw her head back and laugh out loud in sheer joy. The image is so clear in his mind that for a minute he could swear he could actually hear Sam's laugh. Then he realizes that he is hearing Sam's laugh as she is laughing softly as something Jack's said as she gazes into his eyes. And all he can think is 'she's never laugh with me or look at me like that.'

As Pete keeps watching them, Jack lowers his head and kisses Sam. And Sam kisses him back. At first it's an obviously tender, hello-type of kiss. It nevertheless gradually deepens until for a few seconds they're sharing the type of kiss that it's better left for the bedroom. With a visual effort, they separate and look at each with an almost identical looks of chagrin on their faces. They don't last, however and a few seconds later they both wearing the same looking goofy expression complete with goofy grins. They're both thinking that it's only their military training, the fact that they're both in uniform and that it's their duty to behave with proper military decorum while in them that gave them the strength to break the kiss before it got any deeper. With a leer, Jack gives Sam a peck on the lips and suggests, "What say we take this home?" "Oh, yes please." Sam answers on a sigh and with a seductive look in her eyes. The tone of her voice and the look in her eyes makes him groan as he bends down to pick up the duffle bag he'd dropped in his hurry to hug Sam.

When Pete sees Jack pick up his bag, he turns away and tries to get out of their line of sight; he no longer wants to talk to Sam. But he needn't have bothered. Jack and Sam are lost in each other and the rest of the world has disappeared from their frame of reference. As they passed him, Pete can't resist turning back to follow them with his eyes. They're walking down the corridor with their arms around each other; his is around her waist, his hand firmly on her hip, hers is under his uniform jacket, obviously gripping his shirt at his waist. Their steps are in tune, one of the few tangible reminders of the seven years they spent in the field together. He looks down at her every few moment with a tender smile and leans down to kiss her head; she looks up at him with the same smile every time he kisses her and gives him a kiss in the cheek in return. It's obvious they can't wait to be alone together. And thought they're not saying much, there is an aura of communication and intimacy around them that's unmistakably that of lovers. Everyone watching them assumes that they've been together for years and quite a few think how nice it is that even after such a long time they can't keep their hands or eyes off each other after what must have been a long separation. And though they are all technical wrong in their assumptions, they are, in a very real sense, right too.

The man watching the pair leave would have, up until about ten minutes ago, swore on a stack of bibles that there had never been 'together' like that. In fact, one of the first clear thoughts he has as he watches them leave is how inappropriate it is for a CO and 2IC to treat each like that. But then he realizes that they are no longer CO and 2IC; they are quite obviously much more than that. For a few seconds he wonders if they had been together all this time; if Sam had been 'doing it' with her CO while being engaged to him. But the moment of doubt is brief. He knows Sam well enough to know she would have never endanger either of their careers like that; she respects the Air Force, her uniform and rank and, ironically enough, Jack too much to so flagrantly disregard the rules. And isn't it sad that he's sure she wouldn't have cheated on him because she respects _Jack_ too much? What does that say about what he thinks of her feelings for him? It really says it all, doesn't it?

As they disappeared from his view, the thought pops into his head that he's really lost her. But then he realizes that he couldn't have lost her because he never had her to begin with. She was never his; it's suddenly clear to him that she was always Jack's whether they were actually together or not. And with that realization, letting her go becomes, strangely enough, easier. Oh, it still hurts; the death of a dream always hurts and it will probably always hurt a little. But knowing that it was only a dream, beautiful yes, but just a dream, makes seeing it die easier to accept than if it had been reality. After all, it is easier on the ego to know that the end came not because of what he did or gave but because of what she couldn't give – her heart. With that thought he turns back to what he had come to do his heart more weary than before but, strangely enough, lighter too.

The End.

**AN2**: That's it. I have an idea for another vignette, one where Pete actually talks to them. But I don't know whether to write it. Let me know if you guys like this and would like another one, please. Pretty please. I'd really like to get some reviews to see whether you guys are liking what I write. I know what a hassle it is to leave review, I myself, am guiltly of enjoying a bunch of stories and leaving nothing behind - though I'm trying to change that. But it really helps inspire one, so please at least some of you leave a review. Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

**Encounters**

**Disclaimers**: the characters don't belong to me; I'm just borrowing to make them do what I want for a little bit.

Chapter 2

**AN:** Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, maybe asking for them actually works:) who knew! Anyway, here's the second chapter. Though I don't know how many chapters I can write about them meeting Pete; I was thinking maybe a few chapters about meeting some others, like Kerry or Sara or someone. Let know what you guys think and who would you like me to use. I'm going back to writing in past tense, present tense is not my favorite, I really don't know why last chapter came out like that. Ok, that's it for author's note. Here's the story:

"Damn," Daniel muttered as he fumbled with his mobile to answer it. "Hello," he said into the hands-off head set Sam had convinced him to buy saying he was a menace when he drove and talked.

"Danny," Jack's cheery voice could be heard over the earphone, "how are you? What you've been up to? But more importantly, _where_ are you? We're all waiting for you." The first few questions were said with Jack's customary sarcasm, the last with the kind of patience that only comes from having been in the same position many, many times before.

Daniel grimaced and looked at his watch, "I'm not late _yet_, Jack," Though he knew he was very close to being just that.

"No, not yet, Danny boy, but you're cutting awfully close. The movie starts in less than fifteen minutes. Just where are you anyway? You better not still be in your lab."

"No, I'm not in my lab anymore, Jack. Geez, what do you think I am? I'm just a few blocks from the theater actually. Now, can I hang to concentrate on my driving? I'll see you guys in a few minutes." Daniel was _so_ not in the mood for a lecture.

"Ok, we'll see you in a few. And drive carefully, space monkey." And with a laugh, Jack hung up.

"Yeah, yeah," Daniel said with a faint frown; Jack knew Daniel didn't particularly like being called 'space monkey' and yet he still did it. Well, _that_ was precisely why Jack did it; Jack liked nothing better than to yank Daniel's chain. Though to be fair, Daniel did enjoy doing the same to Jack – that was just the relationship they had. They loved to annoy each other, very much like the brothers they consider themselves to be. Daniel smiled as he thought of the man he'd known for over ten years, the man who turned his life upside down and had saved it more than once. He marveled at how despite everything they've been though - deaths, ascensions, possessions, promotions and re-assignments – their relationship was still basically the same. Through good and bad, Jack's always been there and Daniel knew he'd always be there.But things were not the same as they once were; they've changing for the past couple of years. And the news that Sam had a couple of weeks ago meant that more change was on the horizon; of course this change they've all been looking forward to for years. 'It's about time,' he muttered as the big red letters of the theater came into view.

As soon as he saw the distinct letters he gave a sigh of relief and turned his head to check the clock once again, 'Yes, still not late.' He would have never heard the end of it if he had been. All day long, his friends and teammates had been coming to his lab to remind him that they were all meeting tonight for a movie and then dinner. 'You'd think I have the memory of a five year old' he grumbled to himself, conveniently forgetting that he's known for missed appointments, late arrivals and canceled engagements all because he'd get caught up in some discovery or other. And since he'd been holed up in his office for the last three days working on an artifact SG-7 brought back last week, his friends' concern was completely reasonable -not that he'd ever see it that way.

"I'm not an infant," he continued grumbling to himself as he turned into the theater's parking lot, "I'm a responsible adult; there was no need to come into my office every half hour to make sure I haven't forgotten the plan." Of course if they hadn't, he _would_ have forgotten – but that was beside the point, he wasn't in the mood for rational thinking after all. They've each gone to see him at least six times that day; at first he thought it was nice, but by the third visit he was ready to kick their six. The only reason he hadn't, besides the fact that he was pretty sure he couldn't, was that it would have taken him away from the artifact he was trying to decipher – and he really wanted to find out what it was. So he'd made assenting noises and shooed them on their way.

They haven't believed he was paying attention, however, and kept coming back every half hour like clockwork (he knew because he'd timed them) until they left the mountain for the day. Even then, they'd stopped by, one by one, to ask if he was sure he didn't want to come with them. And when he assured them that he was quite capable of getting there by himself, they'd once again reminded him of the time the movie started. That time he'd gotten rid of them by swearing that he was leaving on time, that nothing would make him late. They hadn't look like they believe him that time eihter but they could do nothing about it, so they left Andit wasn't only his teammates that had been on his case all day. Jack had also called him about 10 times that day.And if it hadn't been for his last call forty minutes ago, Daniel would have missed tonight's outing.

He had been ready to leave, really he had, but just as he was putting his stuff away he happened to glance at the symbols one last time. Maybe it was because he was already thinking about the coming evening or maybe it was because he was looking at the whole picture instead of one by one, who knows, but all of the sudden he got it; he finally got the last piece he needed to make sense of the artifact. And of course, then he couldn't leave before he started the translation. Soon he was so engrossed that every thought of the movie had gone out of his head. If Jack hadn't call at that precise moment, Daniel would never have made the movie. He was going to barely made it as it was, but he was going to make it.

He supposed he could understand Jack and Sam, tonight was a big deal for them. But Teal'c and Cameron were acting like mother hens too; you'd think it was their celebration. He sighed internally as he finally found a parking space and conceded that tonight was important to all of them. It wasn't often they got to celebrate good things together after all. And as much as he loved his job, he would have hated to miss tonight's celebration. This was something they have all been waiting for for years; heck, even Cameron's gotten into the festivities and he's only been part of the SG1 for about twelve months now. So, he supposed he could forgive them their treating him like an infant.

But as much as they would all enjoy tonight, it really was Sam and Jack's night. He smiled as he got out of his car and thought of his friends and how happy they were. It was nice to finally see them happy and not just content or making do with life. The changes in both of them were incredible. Sam was always smiling nowadays and almost nothing got her upset and if she did get upset all it usually took to calm her was to ask how Jack was doing, then she would get this really sappy smile, start grinning like a school girl and off she went recounting everything Jack had been up to. It was really very amusing to watch; Sam as a besotted girl was something none of them had ever thought to see. And it was even worse if Jack was around, the goofy grin would not leave her lips and she would not be much good for any kind of intellectual or work related conversation. In fact, the times Jack was in town were the only times in the nine years since he'd known her that Sam has willingly left the mountain on time and even early. Not only that, but in the twelve months that they've been together Sam had actually taken all of her leave and downtime _away_ from the base and has spent quite a bit of it over in DC, which meant that she had been unavailable to solve all of the SGC's emergencies quite a few times.

And though Daniel hadn't seen Jack as much as he's seen Sam since they've gotten together, the few times Daniel had seen him he had seen the differences right away. Jack was no longer as moody or as grouchy. Oh, he still was the same Jack as always, sarcastic, ready with a quip and more than happy to annoy anyone; but he no longer had such a short fuse and best of all, in Daniel's opinion, the shadows that have haunted his eyes and his soul for as long as Daniel have known him were no longer there. Daniel had no doubt that Jack still had some of his ghosts, the man had seen and done too much in his life to ever truly get rid of them, but they now were much more manageable and didn't seem to be following his every step. His whole relaxed, casual attitude was no longer so much an act but much more real; he's even stopped pretending to be as dumb as rock and has participated in some very interesting discussion with Daniel about subjects that he would previously have done his best to appeared ignorant of. They seemed to have done a reversal of roles, the more Sam relaxed and stopped talking about work and intellectual things, the more Jack talked about things he would have never admitted to knowing before – it was quite an interesting phenomenon and Daniel was quite fascinated by it. Though not enough to spend more than a few hours with the two of them, they were still in the new phase of the relationship and could be very lovey-dovey, which got very sickening after a while.

He was so caught up in thinking about the differences their relationship had brought to each of his friend's lives that he failed to notice the person in front of him until he literally walked into him. "I'm sorry, I wasn't really looking where I . . ." Daniel trailed off as he saw just who he had bumped into. "Hey, Pete, long time no see. How are you?"

"Dr. Jackson," Pete's tone conveyed his surprise at running into Daniel, "I'm fine and you?"

"Oh, you know, same all, same all. Can't really complain. What have you been up to?"

"Oh, about the same too. I'm getting transfer back to Denver in a couple of days, actually."

"Really? Why? You don't like Colorado Springs anymore?" Daniel joked before he remember that the only reason Pete had moved here was because of Sam and without her he no longer had a reason to stay. Now that he thought about it, Daniel was surprised the other man had stayed as long as he had.

"No, I like it just fine. It's just that there really is nothing for me here." It had taken him a while after seeing Sam and Jack together, but about two weeks after he'd gone to his superiors and ask for a transfer back. Requesting a transfer back less than a year after his transfer here didn't look all that good and he'd really debated with himself if he wanted to look foolish in front of his superiors. But at the end it had come down to him not wanting to run into Sam and Jack in the future because he was sure they were going to be together for a long time and he really did not want to one day run into a happy family that could have been his.

"Well," Daniel began, not sure of what to say, "I'm sure you'll be fine. I mean you have family in Denver, don't you?" Daniel asked for lack of anything better to say.

"Yes, most of my family lives in Denver; I'll be nice to be close to them again," Pete answered with a faint smile. It will be nice to be close to family and long-time friends again. His stay in Colorado Springs had been so short and unstable that he hadn't made many close friends and he missed the comradely and support close friends and family give you.

As Pete was talking, Daniel was discreetly looking around to see if he saw the guys and Sam; he didn't think it would be a great idea for them to see each other. But it seemed fate had other ideas because, just as Daniel was hoping that maybe they've gone into the theater to wait for him, he hears Cameron call his name, "Hey, Daniel over here."

Daniel looked around and found the group just a few feet from him and Pete. They had been blocked by a group of teenagers that had chosen that moment to move away, leaving a clear path between the two groups. Cameron and Teal'c were facing Daniel while Jack was facing them, with his back towards Daniel; it was clear from his position that he was holding someone close in front of him.

"Hey, Danny boy you made it . . ." Jack said smiling as he turned around to see Daniel. His voice and smile trailed off and he stiffened as he saw who was standing beside Daniel. Sam, who was in his arms (her favorite place in the world to be), felt him stiffen before she saw the reason; but as they finish the turn, she saw Pete also and blanched in surprise. It was weird, she had broken up with him about a year ago and somehow she felt as if he'd caught her cheating – might it be because all the time you were with him you were wishing you were right here in Jack's arms? Her conscience asked, making Sam reflect that consciences could be a pain in the six.

Cameron, who had seen Jack and then Sam go stiff at the sight of the man standing next to Daniel and didn't understand the problem, had a very confused look on his face. Teal'c, who had seen Pete with Daniel a split second before Cameron had called out but had been too late to stop him, stood there with an eyebrow raised and his usual stoic face ready to interfere if things were to go out of hand. Daniel, who had felt Pete stiffen as soon as Jack's voice was heard and had seen him wince when Sam came into view, stood there with the face of someone who was seeing a train careen out of control and could think of nothing to do to avert disaster. He also felt guilty because if he had been looking where he was going he might not have bumped into Pete and this wouldn't be happening and because he knew he should do something but had no idea what that something should be.

Hence they all stood there frozen staring at each other, Sam and Jack stared at Pete, Pete, Teal'c and Daniel stared at Sam and Jack and Cameron stared at everyone mystified as to what was going on. The silence became so stifling that he felt the need to say something to alleviate it but there was something in everyone's faces, especially Jack's, that told him this was not the time for a joke. So, he took a mental step back and let those who knew what was going on handle the situation.

Predictably, it was Sam who broke the silence, her sense of duty would permit nothing less. After all, it had been her ill-fated attempt to get a life (and forget about Jack) that had led to that mess. Daniel's sense of guilt was nothing compared to Sam's.

"Pete," she was proud of how calm her voice sounded, only someone who knew her extremely well, like Jack, could detect the faint tremor underneath it – fortunately for her, Pete had never gotten to know her that well. "How are you?"

"Sam," Pete said, he tried not to let any bitterness show through on his voice, after all it wasn't her fault she hadn't loved him. "I'm fine and you? You look great." Despite his efforts that 'great' came out sounding very sarcastic, because after all it _had_ been her fault – it had been her who agreed to marry him when she loved someone else.

Jack stiffened at Pete's snide tone, as did Cameron and Teal'c. Cameron narrowed his eyes at Pete, thinking 'who's this to talk to Sam like that?' Teal'c subtly moved closer to Jack to be able stop him from doing something foolish should he make the attempt. Fortunately, all it took was Sam's hand on his arm and Jack calmed down – well as calm as he would ever get with Sam's ex-fiancée in the vicinity. Daniel, for his part, had merely winced at Pete's voice knowing how Jack would react.

"Thank you, I _am_ great. Everything is going really . . ." and she waved her hand around as she looked for the proper adjective to describe how things were going in her life, and finding nothing she really liked, settled for "great." She smiled sheepishly at using such an overused word that really didn't describe anything as she brought her hand back down and across her body to put on top of Jack's, which was holding her other hand. She was so flustered that she hadn't realized that waving her hand all around like she had made her new ring sparkled and called everyone's attention to it.

Everyone else, including Pete, had seen it. Daniel merely winced again and turned to see how Pete would react. Teal'c raised his other eyebrow and turned to Pete to see how he would react and Cameron was still clueless at what all the winces and underlying tension were all about. Jack, standing to the other side of Sam, had been the only person besides Sam to miss seeing the ring flashing about. He had however noted that Pete's eyes had narrowed and that he really was not paying attention to what Sam was saying.

Pete had narrowed his eyes and followed Sam's hand from the moment he noticed the shining new ring. He had known what it was from that moment but it hadn't really sunk in until he'd seen her hand settled on top of Jack's. At that moment, reality had come crashing down over him and he realized once again that Sam had never been his; she had certainly never had that glow while she was engaged to him. And as much as he tried, he again couldn't prevent the betrayal and bitterness he felt from coming through, "I guess you finally found what, or should I say who, you were looking for. I guess I should say congratulations and hope you're both very happy. But you'll forgive me if I don't." And with that Pete turned to walk away but Sam calling him stopped him and he turned back.

Sam had been stricken at how bitter Pete's face had turned all of a sudden and his words had taken her further aback. It wasn't until she followed his eyes when he said 'what' that she realized she had been flashing her ring. She had honestly not realized what she had been doing (the fact was that in the two weeks since Jack had given her the ring, she had been so excited that she had taken any and every opportunity to flashed it around and see it sparkle in the light, it had gotten to be a habit and she had done it unconsciously). When Pete had said 'who' her stricken eyes had automatically lifted to Jack to see that his face had stiffen at the tone in Pete's voice. In that moment she wished that Pete was anywhere but there, but when he turned to leave she'd known she couldn't leave things like that. She'd honestly cared for him and they've had great times together, it wasn't fair to either of them to let things end so badly.

"Pete," Sam began, taking a step towards him but not really knowing what to say. "Wait, we should talk." She'd almost say let me explain, but really she no longer owed him any explanations.

"Talk? Sam there's nothing to talk about; we've said all there was to say. What could we possibly say now? That you never really loved me? Wait," he added when he saw that she was about to protest, "Ok, that you never loved as much as you should have? Or as much as I loved you? I know that. That it had been Jack all alone? I know that too. That you've never meant to hurt me?" he sighed and passed his fingers through his hair, "yeah, I know that too, just as I know that you never cheated on me. Don't worry Sam, I know you well enough to know that nothing had been going on between you two while we were together – the regulations and all that. And I'm also pretty sure that that was the only reason we were together and you accepted my proposal, because you couldn't be with him. Because Sam, while I know that nothing actually happened between you two, I also know that you were never really mine, that emotionally you were always his. And while you never meant to hurt me, you did. You did, Sam; you should have never accepted my proposal while you loved someone else – there was never going to be a happy ending and you should have never let me believe otherwise. So, yes I'm angry and hurt and feel betrayed. But I think I'm entitled to all those emotions, don't you?" But he didn't wait for her answered and kept on going, "so, please, just let me go. I guess deep down I am happy that you are happy but I really don't want to be around you, so if you'll excuse me." And with that he turned and walked away, only hesitating at Sam's whispered "I'm really sorry, Pete." He paused and without turning around said "I know but that doesn't really change anything." And then because he'd really loved her, he was able to sincerely say, "I really hope you'll be happy. Goodbye, Sam."

The silence that he left in his wake was deafening. Then with a cry Sam rushed to Jack's arms. She felt horrible; she had hurt Pete so bad when she'd never meant to, that had been the last thing she had wanted to do. But she had and there was nothing she could say or do to change that because Pete was right – it had always been Jack.

Jack, for his part, hugged Sam tightly and started making shushing sounds. He wanted to make her feel better, to say that it wasn't her fault but he couldn't because, whether he liked it or not, it had been her fault. She _had_ become engaged to one man while loving another one. She had led one man to believe that she would spend the rest of her life with him when she hadn't been sure that was what she wanted and nothing Jack could say or do that would change that. The only thing he could do was hold her and let her know he was there for her but not doing was not something Jack did well; he was a man of action and not being able to help the woman he loved went against everything he was. But that was only part of the reason why Jack was feeling so frustrated; the other part was that he wanted to go and beat the crap out of Shanahan for making Sam feel bad. But he couldn't, not only because that would upset Sam even more, but also because –much to his own amazement and disbelieve- Jack found that part of him admired Pete. The man had been hurt and he had said so, simply and plainly – no hysterics, no violence, nothing but the simple truth (Ok, a bit of anger but even Jack had to admit he was entitled to be angry). That took guts, Jack was sure that had he been in Pete's shoes he wouldn't have reacted as well; he'd have either totally shut down or blown up, neither one was an attractive option. So, he was frustrated and a bit confused, not a good combination for Jack.

Cameron was no longer mystified; Pete's tirade had cleared that up but now he was uncomfortable. Cameron had known that Sam had been engaged before, but he hadn't known any of the details. Sam was a very private person and did not usually talk about things of a personal nature and he could only image how she must feel at having had something so personal been aired in so public a way.

Daniel and Teal'c were likewise aware of the discomfort Sam must have been feeling at having had that confrontation in public. But they also knew that she would be hurting at the thought of having hurt someone she'd cared for. Daniel sympathized, knowing how and why she felt as she did. Teal'c, on the other hand, knew how she felt but couldn't understand why she would feel that way. She may have hurt Pete by breaking the engagement but she would have hurt him more by marrying him while loving someone else. Teal'c understood the Tau'ri tendency to feel guilt over things they had no control but he still didn't understand, even after twelve years of living among them.

Daniel also saw how the events had affected Jack and thought that maybe calling it a night would be a good idea. He knew that neither Teal'c nor Cameron would suggest such a thing; Teal'c because that just wasn't how the Jaffa thought and Cameron because as much a part of SG1 as he was, he just wasn't comfortable telling a superior officer what to do – so, it was up to him. He cleared his throat and said, "Jack? Maybe we should postpone this?"

Jack lifted his head from where he was talking quietly to Sam and looked at Daniel. He knew where Daniel was coming from and maybe under other circumstances he would have agreed, but he wouldn't be in town long enough to re-schedule and he wanted (and needed) to celebrate that he finally had what he most wanted with his family. "No, Daniel. I," and looking back at Sam he corrected himself, "we appreciate the thought but we'd rather just go on with it."

Daniel looked at Sam and she nodded and managed a small smile, "Jack is right, Daniel. We've planned tonight two weeks ago and we were all looking forward to it. We are not sure when Jack would be back in town and we both want to celebrate our engagement with you guys."

"Sam, are you sure? I mean, you don't look as if you feel up to it." Daniel insisted.

"I'm sure, Daniel and I'm fine." At his skeptical look she added, "Ok, it was a bit of a shock to see Pete here and it was uncomfortable talking to him. And yes, knowing I hurt him bothers me; but canceling tonight won't change that. I'll just have to deal with those feelings but I won't let that ruin tonight. Daniel, tonight is very important to both Jack and I; we're both very happy to finally be engaged and we want to celebrate that with our family. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Daniel looked deeply into her eyes for a while and he seemed to find what he was looking for because he smiled and said, "Ok, if you're sure."

"Yes, I am . . ."

And whatever else she was going to say was interrupted by a voice loudly calling, "Daniel, you finally made it. I was sure your artifact was going to keep you away."

Daniel turned towards the voice and as glad as he was to see her, he was also glad that she had not being there a few moments before. As fond as he was of Vala, she was not known for her discretion. "Yes, Vala, here I am." And with a smile he bent down and kissed her hello. "I told you I'd make it. Did you really doubt it?" He asked.

"Well, it's not that I doubted you, exactly. But I know how you get when you have a new rock to examine." She answered with a smile and a wink to Jack when she said 'rock'.

Jack winked and smiled back. He had not spend much time with Vala but Sam had told him all about her and he had to say that while she wasn't what Jack thought was Daniel's type, she seemed to very good for him.

Daniel reacted predictably to the reference to his precious artifacts as rocks, "It's not a rock, Vala; it's a priceless artifact." At the playful smirk on Vala's face, he stopped and with a sigh he said, "very funny. You've only seen Jack, what, a couple of times and you're already sounding like him." He turned to Sam and complained, "Sam, you're fiancé is a bad influence on my girlfriend." Daniel had noticed that Vala's antics seemed to have calmed Sam and Jack down some, so he played along and tried to include them; he also noticed that at the word 'fiancé', Sam's face again took on that glow that she'd had for the past two weeks.

With a smirk, Sam responded, "I don'tknow Daniel. As you've said they've only seen each other twice. I don't see how he could have had much of an impact already. I think that's just how Vala is."

"No, Sam" Daniel insisted, "I'm sure it has to be Jack's influence. Maybe they haven't seen each other much, but I know you have been telling her stories about him every time you see her."

Jack couldn't let that passed and interrupted Daniel to ask Sam, "You've been telling stories about me?" Seeing Sam's sheepish smile and nod, he smirked and said, "Couldn't keep your mind off me, uh?" And then with a soft smile, he leaned in to give her a soft kiss and said, "Me either. If you ask anyone in DC they'll tell you that I have them bored to tears with stories about my beautiful, smart as a whip fiancée." Jack still got a thrill every time he said 'fiancée' but he was sure the thrill would be even better when he finally got to say 'wife'.

Daniel grunted at their romantic display (hadn't he say they were so lovey-dovey that they could get sickening?) and went back to his complaining, "besides, I know Jack. He's so bad a couple of exposures are enough to corrupt anyone. I mean, look at you" he gestured to Sam, "it took less than a week and you were already following his example. And now, you're just like him in the field. Isn't that right, Teal'c?" He asked turning to see his teammate, who had up to that point been silently watching the interaction and thinking how amusing the Tau'ri were.

With a head inclined, Teal'c agreed with Daniel, "Indeed. Colonel Carter has learned much from O'Neill and is very much like him when it comes to our work."

"Yeah, stubborn, dictatorial, sarcastic and with a really warped sense of humor." Daniel was exaggerating but not by much; it really was true that Sam had copied much of their former CO's habits. Of course, given how good Jack was, she couldn't have done better; but the point right now was teasing both of them, so no way was Daniel admitting that.

Jack, however, was very pleased at what he was hearing and with a look of pride he turned to Sam and asked, "Is that true, baby? Are you following in my footsteps?"

With a shrug anda slight blush, Sam replied, "I guess so; you know me, only learned form the best. And you are the best."

Jack couldn't have prevented the look of pride and gloating for anything in the world, to have the smartest woman in the universe (in his decidedly unbiased opinion) tell him he was the best was an incredible compliment.

Cameron had also watched the discussion with amusement and decided to now was the time to add in his two cents, "Well, sir, I didn't served with you so I have no first hand knowledge, but if the stories that still circulate aroundthe SGC and the way Carter leads us is any indication, I'd have to agree with her and say you are the best."

Now it was Daniel thatcouldn't let that one passed, and with a disgusted face (that wasn't totally faked) he turned to Cameron and said, "You don't have to kiss ass, you know. He might be your superior officer but he's not your CO and anyway we're out of uniform so all this deference is unnecessary."

"I'm not kissing his ass, Daniel, and I'm not showingmuch deference – just respect for a superior officer. And he may not be my CO, but he could still make my life miserable if he chose to." Cameron answered Daniel, while Jack looked on with a smug look on his face – he loved upsetting Daniel, though he wouldn't have liked it so much if he had known that most of what Daniel was saying was to distract him and Sam.

"Indeed, Daniel Jackson, Colonel Mitchell was just showing the proper respect for a clearly superior warrior." The way Teal'c worded that made clear that, at least in his view, Jack was not only a superior officer but a better one as well. It was a sentiment that Jack accepted with a bow of his head and which Cameron did not really like but couldn't object to because it was the true.

Seeing the annoyed look on Daniel's face, Vala couldn't resist throwing in her own barb, "He must be a hell of a warrior to have been able to keep Daniel in one piece all these years – and a great teacher to teach Sam to do the same."

Daniel's response was automatic and completely real, "Hey!" For someone usually so articulate, andin so many different languages, Daniel could have a remarkably limited vocabulary on occasion.

Seeing Vala's twinkling eyes and Daniel's disgruntled face, Jack couldn't help but laughed out loud and tried one more dig at his best friend, "Daniel, I don't know whether I should be flattered or disturbed."

That really confused the archeologist, if his "Huh," was any indication.

"You seemed to have fallen for someone with a sense of humor identical to my own."

Everyone, including Teal'c, burst out laughing at that.

It took a few moments for Daniel to get it and when he did he let out his usual exasperated, "Jaaack!"

"Sorry, space monkey, couldn't resist." Jack said, shrugging and putting his hands up in a 'what could I do' gesture. "But you have to admit, she does have a similar sense of humor as me – and no, I haven't taught her anything, yet." He added with a wicked smile.

"Whatever," Daniel said, shaking his head, "could we go into the theater now? The movie should have started by now." He asked, gesturing with his hands towards the theater and starting to move.

"Yeah, space monkey, lead the way." Jack said slapping Daniel's shoulder as this one came closer. He then hugged Sam to his side and sharing a smile, they both moved to enter the theater.

Daniel felt Vala gripping his hand and returned the gesture, giving her a slight smile. And as they followed Jack and Sam to the theater, Daniel reflected that he really shouldn't get into battles of wit with Jack; the man was a master at them and it was incredibly hard to get the best of him, but that made them all the more satisfying to him. But today's little round had been more to cheer him up than to win one over him. That'll come later, for now Daniel was satisfied that his friends seemed to have shaken the rotten mood the encounter with Pete had put them in. Jack and Sam had been right; canceling wouldn't have done anything but denied them all the chance to be together and celebrate their happiness – as the family they were.

**AN2**: This went on longer that I had intented, but I hope you guys like it as much as the last one. Please, Please, let me know either way.Two last things, I added Vala at the last minute because after having seen three episodes of the new season and having seen Daniel's and Vala's chemistry, I gotta tell you guys, I love it. I wasn't sure at first, because I loved John and Eryn and having both Ben and Claudia on the same show and not together - I wasn't sure I was going to like it. But I do. Now, I'm thinking how I can get her into my SG1 in Atlantis fic. If you have any ideas, let me know. And lastly, if you guys think I made it seemed like Sam was the CO of SG1 instead of Cameron, you're right. I did. it just seemed fair to me, and I don't think Cameron would mind too much - and if he does, sorry, this is, after all, my fic. Ok, that's it, please let me know what you think.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Encounter in a Bookstore**

**Disclaimer: **Nope, they're not mine. More's the pity.

**A/N: **So, I know I promised more of these little one shots and that was like well, a long time ago. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to actually write and post this. Real life got in the way and then musie became addicted to another show and well, you know how it goes. Hopefully, it'll be worth the wait. It's set during the "Aliens in the City"; which is the sequel to "Men From the Gate." Both are crossover with Bones, the tv show musie became addicteed to and both are set after 'Te Amare'. You might want to check them out but Men is a bit more Bones heavy, though it has some nice SG1 moments and they increase as the fic goes on; Aliens is much more balanced, since by then the Bones readers already knew the SG1 characters. Ok, hope you like it and please let me know what you think.

--

Jack took a deep swallow of his coffee as he thought that there were worse ways to spend a Saturday afternoon than sitting in a café, reading a newspaper and having a cup of coffee with a good friend. It was certainly a better way to spend it than accompanying one's wife while she and her friends spent hours and hours shopping for _the _dress.

Jack had never understood women's obsessions with clothes and shopping; he definitely didn't understand how one went about looking for _the_ dress or what made one dress, _the_ dress, over the others. To him, all dresses were the same. The looks Sam and Vala had given him when he'd said as much, had convinced him to keep his mouth shut while they continued with their plans. After all, he had never presumed to understand women.

He had, however, thought that he understood his wife. Eight years being her commanding officer had given him the false impression that he knew all there was to know about her. Needless to say, that impression had turned out to be a vast overstatement which had been shattered before the first month of their romantic relationship was over. It turned out that Colonel Carter was not the same as civilian Sam.

Oh, they share most of the same attributes; both were strong, dedicated and could kick ass like no one's business. But civilian Sam had a few extra characteristics that Jack had never expected. He had expected the tenderness, sharp wit and passion – those were traits that shone through to her military persona after all; he had _not_ anticipated the moodiness, unreasonableness and downright unpleasantness she was capable of when military discipline was abandoned.

But that was a small price to pay to have her in his life, to be able to tell her he loved her and to hear it back from her, to go to sleep with her every night and wake up next to her every morning. Yes, that was a small price to pay indeed; he'd pay a hundred times that without thinking about it for the privilege of calling her his wife.

Another thing he hadn't expected had been just how girly she could be; who could have imagined the woman that carried a P-90 like other women carried their purses, would be so comfortable spending hours shopping and talking about hair cuts, hemlines and whether or not horizontal stripes made you look thinner? Certainly not Jack O'Neill; he had wanted the woman behind the soldier but had conveniently forgot that women could be unfathomable creatures. For such a gifted strategist, he had been blindsided; it was a good thing the joint chiefs didn't know about it or they might just take back his two stars.

To be fair, though, the girly aspect of her personality only came out when Vala, Janet and, more recently, Angela were present; it didn't come out when Dr. Brennan was present because Jack was sure that if there was one woman that did not have a single 'girly' gene in her, it was Dr. Temperance Brennan.

Plus, Sam never expected him to go with her on those outings. She was quite happy for him to stay at home or to drop him off at the electronics store and then pick him up at the bookstore, where he'd gone to wait for her. And this time, he even had a buddy to spend the time with; and with a grin he remembered the smirk she'd worn when she told him that this morning.

These outings did have a very good outcome for him, though; Sam was always more than willing to model for him whatever it was that her friends talked her into buying. And since, more often than not, the new outfits included a few from Victoria's Secret, Jack was more than willing to spend a few hours by himself while she shopped her heart out.

"How much longer do you think they'll be?" FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth asked, putting down the magazine he'd been reading.

"Not sure," Jack answered, shrugging. "These things usually last at least a couple of hours, but since this time they're looking for something special, it could take longer."

"I guess," Booth said, doubtfully. "I wonder if Bones would last more than a couple of hours. Shopping is not really her thing, you know?" he asked Jack, referring to his girlfriend, Dr. Brennan, whom he'd nicknamed Bones because, as a forensic anthropologist she worked with bones. He was the only person allowed to call her that however, as Dr. Brennan was more than capable of breaking a few bones of anyone who dared call her that.

"I know," Jack agreed. "It's not necessarily Sam's thing either; but I don't think either of them would be able to leave until both Vala and Angela are satisfied with their choice of dress."

"You're probably right," Booth nodded. "Angela and Vala are almost unstoppable separately; together, they're dynamite."

"Yup," Jack grinned, as he brought his cup of coffee to his lips. "For two women with such diverse backgrounds, they should are a lot alike."

"That they are," Booth nodded again. "I still can't believe that Vala is . . ." at Jack's glare, Booth swallowed what he was going to say and substituted with, "not from around here."

"Yeah, well," Jack explained, nonchalantly, "she's very . . . adaptable." That was an understatement. The former space pirate was able to blend in with almost no effort.

"Well," Booth said, after a few seconds of silence. "I hope they don't take too long. I'm getting kind of hungry."

"Me too," Jack agreed. "But who knows how long it takes to find _the_ dress?" he asked, with a slight grimace.

"How do you even know if you found it?" Booth wanted to know. "I mean, they're all beautiful women; they look great in almost anything they wear. What makes one dress _the_ dress over the others?" He added, asking the same thing Jack himself had been wondering for most of the day.

"Who knows?" Jack said with a shrug. "But as long as finding _the_ dress doesn't take as long as finding _the_ one, I'm happy to wait for them here."

"There is that," Booth agreed, with a laugh and with that, both men returned to their reading material. In the silence that ensued, Jack thought about how easy it had been to become friends with the former Ranger sniper.

They had met six months before during an Armed Forces fundraiser dinner; the casual meeting had extended into a professional collaboration when the dinner had been interrupted by an explosion in one of the restrooms. The explosion had incinerated the bodies of both of the perpetrators and the expertise of Booth, Dr. Brennan and their team had been needed.

On Daniel and Sam's recommendation, and against Jack's first inclination, the entire team had been flown to Colorado Springs where they had been made privy to one of the world's best kept secrets. Since then, both teams had become very close, as they had a lot in common. Sam and Dr. Brennan were both geniuses that worked and excelled in a predominately male environment; Vala and Angela, the forensic artist, were kindred spirits and the fact that they lived on opposite ends of the country was no barrier to their getting into mischief. Daniel and Jonas got along with Hodgins and Zack like four peas in a pod since the four of them had more degrees that what was good for them. And Cam was enamored of Dr. Soroyan, the paleontologist of the group.

Jack and Booth had more in common than they would ever be comfortable admitting. Both had been members of the Special Forces and knew what it was to do things men shouldn't be called on to do and what it meant to live with that knowledge afterwards. When Jack looked into Booth's eyes, he found the same shadows and knowledge that he often saw in the mirror.

Daniel and Teal'c were still his best buddies, but Booth was rapidly joining them. He shared things with Booth that Daniel could never fully comprehend and even Teal'c, who had done his share of things he'd rather forget, couldn't fully appreciate what Jack had gone through. Some things could only be understood by someone who had also gone through them. And Jack had found it more of a comfort than he'd ever thought possible to have that connection with someone outside the SGC.

Not that they ever discussed it; aside from the one time when Jack had presumed to have advised Booth back when they'd first met, the nature of the bond they shared was never discussed. It was enough to know that it was there.

With a minute shake of his head, Jack decided that it was too nice a day to be doing such heavy thinking and returned to his newspaper.

Less than an hour later, Sam and Brennan walked into Borders. After a quick look, they found the men sitting towards the end of an aisle and headed straight for them. Brennan gripped Booth's shoulder in greeting and they exchanged a grin in lieu of a kiss.

"Hey, guys," Sam said, as she leaned in to kiss Jack hello even as he tilted his head upward. "How'd your day go?"

"Fine, good," Jack answered with a shrug, "How about yours? Didn't you find _any_thing you liked?" He asked, as he noticed the lack of garment bags in the women's possession.

"Oh, no," Sam denied. "We found lots of things we liked and we bought them too. But Angela took the stuff for the party to her place; she said that she wants you guys to be surprised. And the rest we dropped off at the cars."

"Okay," Jack said. "So, will I like this dress?" he asked wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

"I think so," Sam told him with a provocative grin. She then turned to Booth and with an amused grin, said, "Angela thinks you will love Temperance's dress."

"I will?" Booth asked, looking up at Brennan with a mischievous grin of his own. "Is it short and skimpy? 'Cause those are my favorite dresses; you know like that one you wore that night that you . . ."

"Yes," Brennan said hastily, interrupting him. "I know which dress you mean. But no, it's not short. It's a floor length dress. All of them are."

"All of them?" Jack asked, with something close to a whine in his tone. "Carter, this is sounding more and more like a big ass production! I thought you said it was just going to be a nice, small get together with family and close friends!"

"It is," Sam insisted, after a brief grimace. "It'll just be us and a few close friends and family. It's just that the get together will be a bit more . . . formal, that's all."

"Formal?" Jack repeated. "How formal? Don't tell me I'll have to wear . . ."

"Yes," Sam said at the same time, "you'll need to wear your dress blues."

"Carter!!" Now there was a definite whine in his tone. "You know I hate wearing those!"

"I know, Jack, I know," Sam said, soothingly. "But you look so good in them," she flattered him, batting her eyelashes; when he continued to frown, she sighed. "Jack, they're throwing this party to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary; the least we can do is show up dressed appropriately. Besides, you do look amazing in your dress blues. You look so powerful in them," she added and preceded to smooth talk him until he grudgingly agreed.

"Oh, Janet finally made it," Sam added, a few moments later. "She said everyone in SG4 will be fine."

"That's good to hear," Jack nodded.

"Yes," Sam nodded. "She also told me that Jonas is back and is looking forward to joining us here."

"When is he coming over?" Jack asked.

"Well, he wants to catalogue what he's brought back," Sam answered. "Janet says he's planning on coming over in a couple of days."

"Oh, goody," Jack said, sarcastically, "A house guest! Just what I wanted."

"Actually," Sam said, picking up Jack's cup of coffee, "Angela offered to let him stay at her place. He'll have a great time with Hodgins and Zack."

"Oh, I'm sure he will," Jack agreed. "He's as much as a squint as those two."

"Yes, he is," Sam agreed with a grin. "Hey, you guys are ok here, right?" When both men nodded their assent, Sam said, "Good. Then you won't mind if Temperance and I go and browse for a little bit, would you?"

"Carter," Jack argued. "You don't know how to browse through a book store for a little bit."

"Sure, I do," Sam insisted and with a grin, turned to Brennan. "You coming?"

"Sure," Brennan answered, while Booth started to sputter a protest. "I'll be right back," she told him, before leaning in to give him a quick kiss. She walked off after Sam before Booth recovered enough to keep protesting.

Forty minutes later, Jack looked at his watch and said, "I think we better go and look for them if we want to get out of here sometime today."

"Yes," Booth agreed as they stood up, "you're probably right."

A few minutes later, Jack turned down an isle further into the store and found his wife lost in a book she'd obviously picked up from one of the stacks around her.

"Samantha," he drawled. "I thought you were just going to 'browse for a little bit,'" he said, using quote marks before crossing his arms and leaning on the book case next to her. "This does not look like browsing," he continued, waving around to indicate her reading the book. "It looks more like you losing yourself in these books."

"Jack," she said with a small smile. "Have I been gone long?"

"Oh, about forty minutes," he answered with a shrug. "Not that long - considering you're _you_ and this is a book store. Still, you might want to hurry if you want to go out to dinner."

"Yeah, ok," she said, shifting the books she was carrying and deciding to put one back and take the rest. "Let's go. Is Temperance done?"

"No," Jack shook his head. "Apparently, she's as bad as you," he commented, distractedly, as he shifted his head, trying to see what she was carrying. "Samantha," he said, slowly, "is that a romance book I see in between all those scientific journals?"

"I don't know what you mean," she answered, as she shifted the books closer to her body.

"Now, let's go. Didn't you say we're in a hurry?" She evaded his grasp and walked by

him.

"Oh, come on, Carter," he called laughingly, as he turned to follow her out. "I _know_ you read romance books! Let me see what you have there!! You know, I'll get it sooner or later."

"Yeah, yeah," Sam said, laughing, as she once again tried to evade his attempts to grab some of the books she was carrying. "So you say, but if I'm not mistaken, you've yet to find any of these romance books you say I own!" She was so busy teasing him that she wasn't paying attention to where she was going and walked into a woman coming the other way.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't paying . . ." she started to apologize but trailed off when she realized just who it was she had walked into. Jack, who was walking behind her, also came to a sudden stop when he saw who it was.

"Agent Johnson," Sam, the first one to recover, finally said.

"Colonel Carter," CIA Agent Kerry Johnson said with a nod in Sam's direction. "Jack," she gave another nod in Jack's direction. "I hear congratulations are in order."

"Yes, thank you," Sam said, shifting closer to Jack, while he reached out to take some of the books she carried.

"Should I call you Colonel O'Neill now?" Johnson inquired.

"No," Sam answered. "Colonel Carter is fine."

Johnson nodded and turned to Jack, "I'm glad to see that even though you didn't follow my advice, you nevertheless found a way around those roadblocks."

"Yes, well," Jack answered. "Sometimes these things work themselves out." Sam looked from Jack to Johnson, at a loss as to what they were talking about.

"Well," Johnson said with another nod. "I really am glad it all worked out."

"Thank you," Jack said.

"Well," Johnson said, again after a few moments of uncomfortable silence, while the three of them shuffled their feet, but didn't know what to say. "I better get going; I have to," she added, motioning to the rest of the store.

"Yes, us too," Jack agreed.

"It was great seeing you," Johnson said, sincerely. "I'm very happy you're doing so well," she told Jack before walking away, after a final nod.

"What did she mean by that?" Sam asked after Johnson left. "What advice did she give you?"

"Oh, it was nothing," Jack said, waving it off. "Now, come on. Let's go." He ushered her towards the cash registers as she kept asking about it.

On their way to the registers, they ran into Booth and Brennan who seemed to have had an awkward encounter of their own. While the tense situation didn't last long, it was enough to distract Sam for a little while; especially when Jack kept trying to go through her books to verify that she was indeed buying a romance novel. The fact that Dr. Brennan seemed to be also buying some romance novels only served to increased his curiosity and teasing.

They finally left the book store a few moments later but the ribbing and teasing continued all the way to their cars. Both Jack and Booth enjoyed pointing out the uselessness of reading romance novels, but Brennan insisted she read them as research and Sam kept denying everything. Since she'd been successful in keeping Jack from actually picking them up, she was able to do so with a straight face. Once they reached their cars, they got in touch with Vala and Angela and confirmed their dinner plans before getting in and driving away.

Sam waited until they were on I-395, on their way back to Virginia, before bringing up the subject that was still on the forefront of her mind.

"So," she said casually, as she turned on her seat to look at him, "what was the advice?"

"Advice?" Jack repeated, with a confused frown, in his mind he'd moved on from it and didn't know what she was talking about. "What advice?"

"The advice that Kerry gave you, that you apparently didn't follow," Sam explained. "What was it?"

"Oh, that advice," Jack said, nodding his head. "It was nothing."

"Jack," she said, slowly, as she looked steadily at him, "what are the chances I'm just going to let this go?"

"Ah, pretty good?" he asked, hopefully. When she just kept looking at him without saying anything, he sighed. "Not good at all?"

"Nope," she answered, cheerfully. "Not good at all. So, why don't you make this easy on both of us and just tell me about it before I nag it out of you?"

"Okay, okay," Jack said, giving in; and after thinking for a few seconds, started with, "You remember that day you came by my house? Right before your dad got sick?"

"Of course," she answered, nodding. How could she forget such a pivotal moment in her life? She'd walked onto his deck full of hopeful anxiety and walked out disappointed and scared.

"Well, a few hours later," he continued, "she came by my office and told me, that while we were good together," at this Sam couldn't help but frown, hearing her husband was good with someone else was not something she enjoyed, "I had one big issue she couldn't live with," he paused and looked at her with his brows raised. "You want to take a guess about what that issue was?"

"Me?" she asked, with a tiny smile.

"You," he repeated and she couldn't help the smug smile. "Anyway," he continued, after giving her the moment, "before she left, she told me that if rules and regulations were all that was keeping us apart, we were making a big mistake."

"She was right," Sam acknowledged.

"Yes, she was," Jack agreed.

"So," she inquired again, "what was the advice?"

"She said I should retire," he told her.

"Retire, huh?" Sam asked, somehow not that surprised. "That wouldn't have worked out too well," she mused.

"No, it wouldn't have," Jack agreed. They'd discussed that possibility before they got together and both had agreed Jack wouldn't last a week being retired. "But I got Hammond's call shortly after; so the point was moot."

"Yeah," Sam nodded. After a few moments of silence, she asked, "how come you never mentioned it?"

"I don't know," Jack answered, shrugging. "I guess it was just never the time. At first, your dad was sick; the base was in danger and then," he shrugged again, "I guess I just forgot. It didn't seem that important."

Sam nodded again and relaxed into her seat. They'd never really talked about what came before they got together; it hadn't seemed important, because it _hadn't_ been important. And it wasn't now; she'd been curious, probably because she didn't like knowing there was something between Jack and Kerry she didn't know about. Intellectually, she'd always known there were things she didn't know but she didn't like having them throw in her face. But now she knew and could let it go and look forward to enjoying the night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Encounter in a Cemetery **

**Disclaimer: **Nope, they don't belong to me.

**A/N:** I know it's been forever since I've updated this fic or SG1 in Atlantis or my Atlantis fic. I'm very sorry about it; I'd tell you that it's going to be very soon now but I'd be lying. I am working on the Atlantis fic and even have the next chapter done but I want to have at least three chapters done before I post so that I don't keep you waiting forever for updates again. As for SG1 in Atlantis, that fic will be reworked as I'm going to incorporate it fully into the crossover world I created with Men; those of you who have read The Men From the Gate know what I'm talking about and those of you who haven't, hopefully will still like the fic after I finish updating it. However, this fic is right in the middle of that world and I think you'll need to have read SG1 in Atlantis or at least know what happens there to fully enjoy it because, as my beta reminded me, I make references to things that happen there and references to characters we first meen in Men. I think reading all this universe would allow you to enjoy this fic better but I don't think it's necessary. The order of the fics: Te Quedaste, Te Amare, The Men From the Gate, Aliens in the City and SG1 in Atlantis. The first two are complete and featured only SG1 Men is complete but it introduces the characters from the show Bones. Aliens is almost done, about four chapters from the end; and SG1 in Atlantis, like I said, that one is not done and will be undergoing major updates as soon as Aliens is done. Well, I think that's it for A/N. I hope you like this fic as much as the other ones. Enjoy!!! PS. as always thanks to Pup for all her help!!

----

The sun was shining and a cool breeze was blowing when Jack knelt by his son's headstone one early autumn morning. He laid down the bouquet of flowers he'd been carrying to one side while he dusted off the gravestone. He then sat back on his heels and simply studied the grave as memories of his son played in his mind.

"Hey there, Charlie" he said softly some time later as he gently ran his fingers over Charlie's name. "I'm sorry, I know it's been a while since I've been by," he admitted. "And that I should probably stop by more often. But," he went on, "that doesn't mean that there's a day that goes by that I don't think about you or that I don't pray that you're in a better place." 'Or,' he added mentally, 'that I don't blame myself for you death.' However, he knew better than to say that aloud; it would only cause Sam to worry about him even more than she already was – and that was the last thing he needed or wanted.

"It's just that," he continued with a small shrug after a pause, "life sometimes gets complicated and we can't always do what we'd like." He paused for another moment and then turned to look up at Sam, who was standing behind him. "You remember Sam," he said as if re-introducing her.

"Hey, Charlie," Sam said, taking a step closer to Jack and placing her hand on his shoulder. "I'm also sorry we can't come to visit you as often as we'd like. I'd promise we'll try to do better but . . . well, I don't like to make promises I'm not sure I can keep."

"Yeah, about that," Jack spoke up again. "That's actually the main reason we're here now. Carter here," he said with a small grimace, pointing back at Sam again, and unconsciously reverting to his old way of addressing her, "is making me take a vacation – against my will, I might add."

"What your father isn't saying," Sam clarified, tightening her fingers on Jack's shoulders and frowning down at him, "is that he's been working really hard lately. He's become something of a workaholic; yeah, I know, hard to believe, huh?" She smiled for a moment before turning serious again. "But it's true; he's been very stressed and actually collapsed once."

"Oh, come on, Carter!" Jack protested.

"What?" She asked him. "It's true. You need to rest." Since he knew there was no way he was going to win that fight, Jack chose retreat.

"Anyway," he said, "She's making me go on a little trip. Well, not so little – it's actually a long, long way from here," he made a vague gesture with his hand indicating the sky. "I wanted to go somewhere closer but she wouldn't hear of it."

"That's because I know you," Sam defended herself. "And I know you wouldn't really rest if we stay on . . ." she caught herself before she said 'Earth', "around. You know what happened when you tried to vacation here in Colorado Springs and in Minnesota. You were just pulled right back into work. You won't get any rest if we stay anywhere were they can easily reach you. Maybe if we go to . . . where we're going, you can actually relax and forget about work for a while."

It was a long shot; after all, Atlantis was still under his command and knowing him, he might very well try to involve himself in its day to day trials. But it was still the best option that she could see; it would take three weeks to get there and three weeks to get back and Sheppard had told her there were plenty of places for quiet fishing – especially if one didn't mind not catching any fish.

This disagreement had the feel of an old one; all the arguments had been given and countered more than once already. They weren't going to resolve it that day, just as they hadn't really resolve it before because there was nothing to resolve; Sam had made a decision and Jack had no reasonable grounds on which to object. Besides, his son's gravesite was not the place to revisit the argument so Jack once again changed the subject.

"So," he continued, "we're going on this little trip and it's going to take quite a bit before we get back." Three weeks to get there, three weeks to get back and at least six weeks there to complete the three months Sam, the doctors and the President had agreed was the minimum amount of time Jack would stay away from work. Sam and the doctors had wanted Jack to take six months off; Jack and the President had argued that that was too long. Knowing Jack would probably go crazy if he was forced to be inactive for six months, everyone had compromised on three months. He would have a check up at the end of those three months and depending on the results, they would decide if he needed farther rest or not.

"Actually," he went on, "we're not really sure when we'll come back." 'Or if we'll come back,' he added mentally; one never knew what would happen when taking an inter-galactic trip. "So, we wanted to come by and say hi, tell you of our impeding trip and that we'll come see you as soon as we get back."

"Yes," Sam nodded. "We couldn't leave without saying 'bye'."

"We'll come by to see you as soon as we get back," Jack promised.

"Yes," Sam agreed.

"Well," Jack said, getting up. "We'll be going now. We just wanted to come and say bye. Our . . . transport is leaving soon and we need to get back." He stood there for a moment longer before sighing and turning to walk away. Sam hesitated for a few seconds before turning to follow her husband.

"I promise I'll take good care of him," she promised before she hurried to catch up with Jack. When she reached him, he reached out and grabbed his hands. As they walked away from Charlie's grave a soft, warmer breeze seemed to come out of nowhere and sweep by them before dispersing. With a last look at Charlie's grave, the couple left the cemetery.

Three months and a week later, they were back. This time Jack didn't kneel down because the ground was covered in snow and ice. He did dust off the snow from the headstone, clearing Charlie's name, after laying down the flowers.

"Hey, Charlie," he said softly, looking down at the engraving of his son's name before looking around the mostly empty cemetery. He swept his gaze back and forth as if expecting his son to pop up from nowhere at any moment. After their encounter back in Atlantis, such an expectation wasn't completely out of the realm of possibilities.

The fact was that Jack hadn't been sure whether he wanted to come back to the cemetery at all after his visit with Charlie. After having seen and talked to his son and having been assured that he was well in some form alive 'out there', it didn't seem to right to come to a place that was all about death to say hi. His son wasn't dead, after all; he wasn't just in another plane of existence.

"Hi, Charlie," Sam said, holding hands with Jack when he came back to stand by her side. "I . . . hope everything's still good with you. You know," Sam said, turning to look at Jack. "You were right, this _is_ weird."

"I told you it would be," Jack shrugged. He hadn't been sure about coming but Sam had argued that it was a good idea. She'd said that since they didn't know where Charlie might be, they might as well go to the place that he'd been put to rest – that it might help Jack feel closer to Charlie. Jack had argued that he didn't go to a specific place to feel closer to his son but in the end had agreed to come. Since they'd found out about Sam's condition, he did his best to humor her.

"Still," he continued. "I'm glad we're here."

"Really?" she asked.

"Yeah," he nodded. "He might be God knows where but this is where we buried him. I don't know if I feel closer to him here but since I don't know when, where or if I'll see him again, this is a good place to come to when I think about him or when I just want to . . . be closer to him." He paused for a second before he grimaced. "I don't know if I'm making sense."

"I know what you mean," she told him, laying her head on his shoulder. She turned to look at the headstone again. "I guess we don't have to tell him our news, huh? He knew before us."

"That he did," Jack grinned, shifting so that he could place his free hand on Sam's stomach, which was visible even under all the winter gear she was wearing. "You think he'll show up again after this little one is born?"

"I hope so," Sam answered. "It'd be nice to see him again."

"Yeah, it would," Jack agreed. He fell silent again and Sam, who knew all of his moods, understood that he wanted to take a minute to just be there close to his son. She placed her left hand over the hand on her stomach and laid her head on his shoulder again, patiently waiting until he was done.

A few moments later, he stirred and dropped a kiss on her head. "You ready?" he asked.

"Yes," she nodded. She straightened and murmured 'bye' towards the gravesite. After saying his own good-bye, Jack shifted her grip on Sam to better help her walk on the uneven ground.

"So," Jack said as they walked toward the parking lot. "What did Dr. Bones want?" He asked, grinning as he used Parker Booth's nickname for Dr. Brennan.

"Oh," Sam said as she remembered the phone conversation she'd had with Brennan before they left the house. "She just wanted to find out whether we were going to be in DC this weekend. Parker wanted to know if you'd be available for a play date," she added, grinning cheekily.

"And what did you say?" he asked, grinning at the idea of having a play date with his favorite 8 year old.

"That we would be happy to have him Saturday evening," Sam answered. "I also told her that we could keep him that night if they wanted to have a night out."

"You know I love spending time with Parker," he told her. "But are you sure it's a good idea to have him the whole night? He's a very active little guy and you need your rest."

"Oh, I'm not worried," she assured him. "I'm going to get plenty of rest; you'll be the one running after him."

"Ah, I see how it is," he began to tease when he heard someone call his name. He caught Sam's eye for a second before they both turned toward the sound. The saw a woman wearing a dark green coat and a hat pulled down on her hair hurrying towards them.

"Jack?" the woman said again and now that she was closer, Jack recognized her.

"Sara?" he asked, taking a few steps closer before stopping a couple of feet from where the other woman had stopped.

"Hi," Sara said. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Yes," Jack nodded, before stepping closer and leaning down for a kiss. "How are you Sara?"

"I'm fine," Sara answered. "I'm actually doing very good, thanks. You?"

"I'm doing good too," Jack replied. "You remember Sam," he said, taking a step back and motioning to Sam before taking her arm. "Sam, you remember Sara."

"Yes, of course," Sam nodded. "Hello, Sara."

"Sam," Sara nodded back. Her gaze traveled down to Sam's prominent stomach before she commented, "I see there's no need to ask what's new."

"I guess not," Sam grinned, rubbing her bump with her free hand.

"Congratulations to you both," Sara said. She sounded very sincere but there was a touch of what might have been nostalgia in her eyes for a few seconds as she looked back at Jack. "So, how far along are you?" she asked Sam, seeming to shake off whatever it was that came over her.

"Almost five months," Sam answered.

"Do you know what you're going to have yet?"

"We think a girl," Sam answered. "But it hasn't really been confirmed." They might not have a medical confirmation but after Charlie's visit and Sam's 'dream' while she was injured in the Prometheus, she was sure it would be a girl.

"A girl," Sara repeated. "That'll be nice."

"Yes," Jack agreed, speaking up for the first time since he re-introduced his wife to his former wife. "I just hope she takes after her mother."

"Oh, I don't know," Sam said. "I'd love a little girl with your eyes."

"I'm sure she'll be beautiful either way," Sara told them. "You make a striking couple."

"Thank you," Jack told her while Sam nodded. "So . . ."

"You've been to see Charlie?" Sara asked before an awkward silence could take hold.

"Yes," he nodded. "We just came from there."

"You came by a few months ago too, right?" Sara asked. "I saw some new flowers about three months ago." While Jack went to visit Charlie's grave sporadically, Sara went by every week.

"Yes," he answered. "We were going on a long trip and we wanted to come by before we left."

"Business?" Sara asked, thinking that three months was a long time for Jack to take a vacation trip.

"Not really," Sam answered. "There were a few things we needed to take care of," she added, thinking of their time in Atlantis. "But it was primarily so that Jack could rest. He'd been a little run down and needed the time off." While Jack rolled his eyes at the mention of him being 'run down', Sara looked a little concerned.

"But you're okay now?" Sara asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Jack reassured her. "I was fine then too; it was just a little stress."

"It was more than that," Sam protested. "Your body was asked to take more than it could handle," she reminded him. That the more was due to her pregnancy was something she still had a hard time accepting without feeling guilty.

"But it's all fine now," Jack repeated. "I'm fine now," and he seemed to be reassuring both _Sara_ and Sam. And he was; while Jack might not ever admit out loud that he had been feeling tired and run down three months ago, he was now feeling as good as ever. He'd had to adjust his diet and rest more than he'd ever had (he was actually taking naps whenever Sam took hers) but he was doing much better. And he was confident he could go back to his regular diet and sleep schedule after the baby was born. Sam, on the other hand, wasn't so sure of that. She'd never had a baby but she was sure that a new born demanded a lot of time and the fact was that Jack hadn't been around too much when Charlie had been a baby, so he didn't really know either.

"You need to take care of yourself, Jack," Sara told him. "You have a wife and a baby on the way now, you can't keep taking your health for granted."

"I don't," he protested even as Sam agreed with Sara.

"That's what I keep telling him," Sam said. "But he rarely listens when it comes to his health."

"I know," Sara sympathized. "And getting him to go the doctor for regular check ups is next to impossible. If it wasn't for the Air Force medical requirements, I don't he'd ever go for one."

"So, Sara," Jack said in a slightly louder tone of voice, "what's new with you?" he asked, in a not subtle way to change the subject. Sam and Sara grinned but left the previous subject die.

"Not much," Sara shrugged. "I got a promotion at work."

"Congratulations," Jack and Sam told her.

"It means more hours but I like it," she continued.

"I'm glad," Jack said. A sudden gust of wind made Sam and Sara shiver and prompted Jack to call an end to the conversation. "Well, I guess we better get moving," he said. "I don't want Sam to catch a cold."

"I'm fine," Sam protested but this time Sara was agreeing with Jack.

"Jack's right," Sara said. "You need to be extra careful when you're pregnant – you can't really take any medication if you do get sick. Besides, it is cold and I need to get going too."

"It was nice to see you," Jack said, stepping forward for a good-bye kiss before stepping back and throwing an arm around Sam's shoulders.

"Have a good day," Sam said, smiling at the other woman.

"You too," Sara said, smiling at both. "Take care and congratulations again." With a final bye all around, Sara continued towards Charlie's grave while Jack and Sam continued towards their car.

As it had three months and a week ago, a gentle, warm breeze came out of nowhere and seemed to caress Jack, Sam and Sara. This time, though, Jack and Sam shared a smile and whispered 'Charlie'. Sara didn't know why but the breeze relaxed her and she went on with a lighter step.


	5. Encounter in Corridors of Power

**Encounters**

**Disclaimer: **How many times do I have to admit to this? *sigh* I guess as many times as I post something if I don't want to get sue, huh? So, nope, they're not mine . . . if they were this would have already happened on the show.

**A/N: **Here's the next 'Encounter'. *shakes head* When I wrote the first one, I had no idea I'd still have ideas for it this many years later but here we are. I'm just glad you guys are still enjoying them!! I really thank everyone that's still taking the time to review and let me know you like them; it is because of you that I keep writing them - even if there's a long wait between updates!! I have to give SammieAtHome the credit for inspiring this chapter. It was her review that gave musie the inspiration for it - I actually came up with most of the plot within half an hour of reading her review. I think I wrote in most of what you wanted; I even had something like a jealous Jack - well, more like a possessive Jack - given the type of relationship I created for them, I don't see him being really jealous, but possessive is another story. I hope you like it!! For those that are following my crossover stories, I'm going to be taking a little break from writing it (I'm pretty obsessed with Criminal Minds at the moment) but I plan to start the sequel to Aliens, which is the new version of SG1 in Atlantis, sometime in mid-December. Most of you know that I'm a John/Teyla shipper but I know that some of you aren't and that ship in a story is a deal breaker. I completely understand as a John/Elizabeth ship in a story is a deal breaker for me; so, I am going to be writing two versions of the sequel. The SG1 one, with the John/Teyla ship, will still be call SG1 in Atlantis, the Bones version, which right now is titled Squints in Space, will have John, because you can't have an Atlantis fic and not have John, but there won't be any mention of him being in a relationship with Teyla. There are too many characters for me to have just one version, the Atlantis characters will show up on the Bones version but they won't be as prominent as the SG1 ones. So, for those of you that don't like John/Teyla, the Bones version will be safe. Ok, in terms of time table, this story is set before the one before - about a couple of weeks before. If you remember the epilogue for Bones, Jack told Booth that he and Sam were on their way to Colorado Springs for him to start his 'vacation', this story is set about a day before the epilogue while the one in the chapter before is set when they're already in Colorado. I'm sorry that they're out of order; I like to write them in chronological order and I'm pretty good at it, usually. But since this story was sparked by a review for the last chapter *shrug* well, you see what I mean. I couldn't have written it before because I just hadn't thought of it. I hope you're not too confused; it shouldn't be too confusing but if you have any questions just let me know!!

**Encounter in Corridors of Power**

"General," a voice from above him said. As he was the only general in the room, Jack supposed he'd better open his eyes. With an inaudible sigh he did just that even as he straightened up in his seat.

"Agent Barrett," he said with a barely perceptible nod, doing his best to hide a grimace. Jack knew that the other man, brain washed incident aside, was a good, loyal and capable agent. However, Jack was also well aware that Barrett had had a thing for his wife since the moment they met and had hit on her more than once – heck, all of SG1 was well aware of that. So, while professionally, Jack had no reason to have a problem with the younger man, personally he would be very happy if he never saw him again.

"How are you, sir?" Barrett asked, shifting on his feet.

"I'm fine, just fine," Jack answered. "And you?" How had Jack not known that Barrett would be here? He should have known chances were good he'd be there when he'd learned there'd be a NID representative but he'd been so preoccupied with everything else, it hadn't even occurred to him to think about it. Though, now that he thought about it, Daniel's smirk when they talked about the meeting made sense.

"Fine too, thanks, sir," Barrett replied and shifted once again so that he was standing pretty much at attention. Jack had to fake a cough and bring his hand up to hide his smirk at the sight. It was funny how even non-military people reacted to the two stars on his lapels; women seemed to preen more and men tended to straighten as if they were preparing for inspection. "You're attending the briefing too?" Barrett asked.

"I'm giving the briefing," Jack corrected him.

"Oh," Barrett nodded. He then frowned slightly, "I didn't know the briefing involved matters of interpl…" At the glare Jack threw his way, he corrected himself. "Matters of international security."

"Now you do," Jack told him and only years of being an agent, prevented Barrett from flinching at his tone. It wasn't a personal attack; the man had been an agent long enough to know not to say anything sensitive in such an open forum.

"General, you can go in," the secretary said, after she hung up the phone, cutting short what would have been an uncomfortable silence.

"Thanks Silvia," Jack smiled and got up. He walked up to the door, opened it and walked through as if he'd done it a hundred times before. Which, Barrett realized after blinking in surprise a couple of times, he probably had done. Given the importance of his post, it shouldn't have surprised the agent that General O'Neill was on a first name basis with the President's secretary and was very familiar with the Oval Office. Briefly shaking his head to dispel his surprise, the agent followed the general into the President's office. Only to find the two men greeting each other like long lost friends.

"Jack," the President was saying as they finished shaking hands. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, Mr. President," Jack answered. And Barrett had to blink again as he noticed that the General actually rolled his eyes when answering the President. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Jack," President Hayes said and gave him a look. "I do get updates on all my generals, you know?"

"I'm fine," Jack insisted but when the President continued to look at him silently, he sighed and gave in. "Ok, okay. So, I had an . . . episode. But that was days ago and I'm all fine now. I . . . I just haven't had much sleep lately – what, with this whole situation and all."

"That's not exactly what your lovely wife and Doctor Fraizer said," President Hayes argued.

"Yeah, well, they're women," Jack waved that argument away. "What did you expect? They tend to exaggerate."

"Oh, I'd love to be in the room if you ever say that to their faces," the President grinned and rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"I already did," Jack admitted, smirking.

"Really?" the President wanted to know. "And you're still standing?"

"Of course," Jack answered, his smirk growing. "I'm not afraid of them."

"Right," the President snorted and had Barrett blinking yet again. "And the fact that they think you're sick didn't have anything to do with you walking away from that encounter?"

"None whatsoever," Jack said firmly and then grinned widely.

"You're still taking leave," it wasn't a question but it wasn't quite a statement either.

"I supposed I have to," Jack said on a long suffering sigh. "I don't really want to leave when we're in the middle of this mess . . ."

"We're no longer in the middle of it," President Hayes interrupted him. "You already took care of most of it. All of that's left now is the clean up."

"Sometimes the clean up is the most important part of an ops," Jack insisted. "I should be here to see it through."

"You've trained your people well, General," the President reminded him. "And Davis has been your right hand man for the last couple of years – before that, he was Hammond's and before that he was the liaison between the Pentagon and the SGC. He's been with the program from basically the very beginning. There's no other man, other than you, better qualified to take care of this. He'll do you proud – all your people will do you proud."

"I know," Jack nodded once. "That's not the problem. I know Davis and the rest of my staff can handle it. It's just . . ."

"That you want to be here to handle it yourself," President Hayes finished for him. At Jack's sharp nod, Hayes smiled in sympathy. "I know what you mean but sometimes you have to delegate; you can't do everything yourself. Besides, we need you in your post for many years to come so you need to take care of your health. And if that means to let your subordinate deal with the clean up detail, then that's what you'll do."

"Yes, sir," Jack answered seriously. When your Commander in Chief gave you an order, you didn't question it – well, if you were Jack, you questioned it if you thought you could get away with it but even Jack knew when he was licked. "Well, I guess a vacation wouldn't be the worst thing right now. Especially since my lovely wife has agreed to take her vacation too."

"See, it could be a kind of second honeymoon for you guys," the President said with a grin.

"I like the sound of that," Jack agreed. "We celebrated our one year anniversary a few months ago," he added. "Maybe we can start a tradition of having a honeymoon every year."

"That's something every couple should do," the President agreed.

"Too bad with the jobs we have, that's more a dream than a reality," Jack said somberly.

"Yeah," the President nodded before realizing that there was someone else in the room. "Oh, excuse us, Agent . . . Barrett, isn't it?"

"Yes, sir," Barrett answered and stepped forward to shake the President's hand; flattered that the older man had remembered his name. Before they could say anything else, the door opened again and the Joint Chiefs, the Secretaries of State and Defense and the Ambassadors to the UN and NATO and their aides stepped in. The next few moments were spent in greetings all around and a few introductions.

"Are we ready?" the Secretary of the State asked as everyone took their seats.

"Not quite," Jack started to answer when the whine that preceded the white flash of the transported signaled that someone was beaming down. Again the only one surprised by the beam down was Barrett; he'd thought that the whole of the White House, the Pentagon and the SGC had a shield that prevented anyone from beaming in or out. The others in the room knew that while the shield existed, certain commanders in the Air Force Spaceship Fleet had a frequency that allowed them to bypass it. Colonel Samantha Carter was one of them – as was Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet.

"Mr. President, Generals, Mr. Secretaries," Sam said, looking first at the President and then at the rest of the people in the room. "My apologies for being late but something came up at the last moment . . ."

"You're not that late, Colonel," the President waved away the apology.

"Anything we need to know, Carter?" Jack asked her.

"No, sir," Sam shook her head. "It was an unrelated matter." Jack nodded and Sam moved quickly to sit down beside him. On the way, she made eye contact with Barrett; they shared a tight, small smile before the President called the meeting to order.

Jack, who had not missed the smile, cleared his throat and began the briefing, putting all thoughts of Barrett and his feelings for Sam out of his mind. After all, despite what the other man might feel, Sam had, in the end, chosen him. Actually, Sam had chosen him in the beginning, the middle and the end. For Sam it had always been Jack just as for Jack it had always been Sam. It wasn't for nothing that one of their code words was 'always'.

For the next half hour, Jack briefed those present on Ba'al's latest attempt to take over Earth. For a few, like Barrett, this was the first they were hearing of it; some others had heard bits and pieces but it was the first time they heard all of the details. When they started to interrupt Jack asking for details, the President told them to hold all questions until General O'Neill had finished his briefing.

When Jack got to the part about what they've done to find the clones, he turned the floor over to Sam. From then on, they took turns conducting the briefing. When they were finally done, the questions began and it took almost an hour for the pair to answer all of them.

"The representatives of the IOA know most of what's going on," Jack started to wrap it up. "As do those associated with the SGC. Most of the steps that I've just gone over have already been taken; however, they've just taken place so the fallout will not be long in coming."

"That's why we're having this briefing now," President Hayes answered.

"We should have been informed of this from the beginning," the UN ambassador protested.

"No offense," Jack said, "but until I had a handle of just what was going on, information was dispersed on a need to know basis."

"And I didn't need to know?" the Ambassador asked. "You just told us that the IOA representatives were told about this."

"They were told only what they needed to know, not a thing more," Hayes replies. "And no offense, Charles, but you really didn't need to know any of this before." The Ambassador opened his mouth to protest but thought better of it and closed it without saying anything.

Jack had to look down at the papers on his knees to stop them from seeing his grin. That was one of the reasons he liked President Hayes; the man did not put up with any BS and did not hesitate to put people in their place when they needed it.

"If there are no more questions," the President said and when everyone shook their head, he clapped his hands and stood. "Well, then I guess that's all for now. Thanks for coming." Each person nodded again as they prepared to leave. The next few moments saw most everybody saying thanks to the President, nodding to everyone else and leaving the room.

As the majority of the group made their exit, General Reynolds walked up to Jack, who had stepped to the side to wait for the President who'd been waylaid by the UN Ambassador.

"Jack," he said quietly. "I don't think right now is the best time for you to go on vacation."

"I know," Jack said frustration clear on his voice. "Believe me, if it was up to me, I wouldn't be going anywhere." Reynolds opened his mouth to ask why he was taking vacation if he didn't want to when the President walked up to them. He'd finally managed to send the Ambassador on his way and was in time to catch the exchange.

"General O'Neill's going on vacation because his doctor recommended it," he informed the other general. "And because I ordered him to."

"Doctor's recommendation?" Reynolds repeated. "Are you alright?" he asked, sounding confused.

"Yes, I'm fine," Jack answered curtly. "I'm fine; people are overreacting that's all." It was obvious he was beyond frustrated with the whole topic.

"It wasn't overreacting at all," Sam argued as she stepped next to them. She'd been standing to the side by herself, getting her papers together when she'd realized what was going on. She knew that Jack was anything but happy about leaving on vacation while there was more to do regarding Ba'al; he felt he was abandoning a mission and having one of his peers question him on it would only made it worse. She also knew that, after talking about him self, there was nothing he hated more than anyone feeling pity towards him. So, she did something she would never do under any other circumstances – she inserted herself in a conversation between two generals and the President and she contradicted him. Since it was done in an effort to stop him from exploding in frustration, she felt more than justified. Besides, both General Reynolds and the President knew about hers and Jack's personal relationship; they wouldn't really think bad of her for interfering.

"The General," she continued even though Jack sent her a mild glare, "has been working over time dealing with the Ba'al situation. It's been needed, of course; all the same, he's been working so hard that he's been ignoring his health. Doctor Frazier and I just felt it better that he take a break now – sort of as a preventative measure rather than wait for him to collapse and then have him have to take even more time off." It wasn't exactly a lie just a little . . . finessing of the truth; the last thing Jack would want was to have it be known that he'd actually fainted. He was the big, bad ass General and protecting his big, bad ass image was part of her duties as his wife.

"Like I told the General earlier," the President added, "there's still a lot for him to do around here; we can't afford to lose him. Right now, his health is more important than the case. Besides, he's trained his men well – they're more than capable of dealing with this."

"I'm sure they are," General Reynolds agreed, nodding his head. "And they're right," he continued, looking at Jack, "health should always come first." He then added with a gleam in his eyes, "of course, Presidential or medical orders are kind of superfluous – wife's got the last word, eh, Jack?"

Both the President and Sam grinned at the barb. Sam knew General Reynolds's wife enough to know that the older woman ruled with an iron fist when it came to the general's health or anything else she considered domestic matters so she knew not to take offense and the General meant it as a good-natured joke and not a disparaging one. Jack, on the other hand, mock glared at his wife before responding.

"Yeah, well, it doesn't seem to matter that I'm the one that wears the two stars," Jack grumbled, "apparently, she's the one calling the shots now."

"All the good wives do," General Reynolds said with the air of someone imparting some great truth. "I hope you know what a lucky s.o.b. you are to have such a good woman standing by your side."

"I know, I know," Jack sighed. "I do know that; I just wish she would be more concerned with my dry cleaning and not with me taking a vacation." At that taunt, Sam completely forgot that they were standing in the Oval Office and in the presence of not only the President of the United States but some other high government officials.

"Jack!" she cried and turned enough to actually slap him on the shoulder, which only made him burst into laughter. "I can't believe you said that." But they could all tell she wasn't really offended; she was too used to Jack's off the wall sense of humor to take real offense. The President and General Reynolds shared a grin at the couple's antics.

"Kidding," he cried, still grinning. "I'm only kidding. You know how much I appreciate you taking care of me." If they'd been any where else, Sam knew at that moment, Jack would have put his arm around her shoulders but since they were still in uniform and standing before the Commander in Chief, he limited himself to a loving glance. "And she's also taking some time off . . . so, I guess it could be worse. She could have made me take the time off and still go to work herself."

"Oh, no, I'd never do that," Sam denied, shaking her head. "If I didn't also take the time off, who would make sure you didn't get into trouble?" she asked with a smirk worthy of Jack himself and had all three men laughing.

Barrett, who had dawdled behind in the hopes of talking to Sam, got what could be the surprise of his life when he 'accidentally overheard' that Sam was the before-mentioned wife of General O'Neill. Only his years as an agent allowed him to keep an impassive face as he tried to assimilate what he'd just heard.

Once he thought about it for a moment, he'd decided that the most surprising thing of all was that he wasn't that surprised about the fact that they had gotten married; rather, what surprised him was the fact that he hadn't heard anything about it before. He didn't know how long they'd been married but they must have been together for a few years, at least – probably, since her transfer to Area 51's R&D division. That must have been what she meant when she told him 'not exactly' in answer to whether or not she was single.

How had they managed to keep their relationship such a secret? It was obvious that the President and the other general knew about it, evidenced by their talk, teasing and laughter, but Barrett got the distinct impression that not all persons that had been present in the meeting knew about it. Sam might still be stationed at the SGC but the General lived and worked in the DC and DC was one small city and a town that thrived on gossip, ferreting it out and spreading it around, so how had they kept it under wraps? For that matter, how did they make it work with her living in Colorado and him in DC? Thinking of the logistics of that would be enough to give anyone a headache. He decided he'd better not think about it - it really was none of his business, anyway.

As for how they kept it a secret, he supposed working for an ultra secret government program for over a decade (not to mention the years he had spent in black ops) had taught them how to keep a secret. Not that it mattered; it, again, was none of his business and that was the real reason he'd known nothing about it. With a final glance at Sam, Barrett gathered his papers and left the Oval Office. The meeting had provided a lot of information, some that he now had to put away and some that was going to create more work than he'd had in a while. Still, it was information that he'd needed to have; at least now, he could finally put the 'what if' questions away once and for all.


End file.
